The Consensus 100 · #1 of 100
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Stairway to Heaven

Led Zeppelin · 1971 · solo by Jimmy Page
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Guitar hero

Derek Trucks

The modern master of slide guitar, fusing blues, soul and raga

Derek Trucks was born in Jacksonville, Florida, into a musical family; his uncle Butch Trucks was a founding drummer of the Allman Brothers Band. He bought his first guitar for five dollars at the age of nine and gravitated to slide playing almost immediately, partly because it suited his small hands. He played his first paid gig at eleven and was soon sitting in with seasoned blues and rock musicians, earning a reputation as a child prodigy with unusual taste and restraint.

In 1994, still a teenager, he formed the Derek Trucks Band, a group that ranged far beyond blues-rock into jazz, soul, gospel and Indian and Pakistani music. The band's albums, including Joyful Noise and Songlines, featured covers of John Coltrane and qawwali songs alongside Southern soul. In 1999 he joined the Allman Brothers Band, taking on the slide role once filled by Duane Allman, and his partnership with Warren Haynes became one of the great twin-guitar pairings of the era.

His profile rose further in the mid-2000s. He played on Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale's The Road to Escondido and then toured with Clapton's band after the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, drawing attention from audiences far beyond the jam-band world. Meanwhile the Derek Trucks Band's Already Free (2009) won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album, confirming that his own group was as creatively vital as any of his famous collaborations.

In 2010 he merged his band with that of his wife, singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi, to form the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a large ensemble with horns and multiple vocalists. Their debut Revelator won a Grammy, and later albums such as Let Me Get By and the four-part I Am the Moon project cemented them as one of America's leading live bands. After the Allman Brothers Band's final shows in 2014, Trucks has focused on the group, touring constantly.

The 10 greatest Derek Trucks solos

  1. 1
    Midnight In Harlem
    Tedeschi Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2011
  2. 2
    Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni
    The Derek Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2002
  3. 3
    Instrumental Illness
    The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes · 2003
  4. 4
    Desdemona
    The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes · 2003
  5. 5
    Anyhow
    Tedeschi Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2016
  6. 6
    Bound for Glory
    Tedeschi Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2011
  7. 7
    Down in the Flood
    The Derek Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2009
  8. 8
    Layla
    Tedeschi Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks, Trey Anastasio · 2021
  9. 9
    Made Up Mind
    Tedeschi Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2013
  10. 10
    Joyful Noise
    The Derek Trucks Band · solo by Derek Trucks · 2002

The sound

Trucks plays slide almost exclusively in open E tuning, using his fingers rather than a pick, which lets him mute unwanted strings and pluck with great dynamic control. His intonation is extraordinary: he glides between microtones in a way that echoes Indian classical music and vocal traditions rather than conventional blues licks. Phrases often start quietly and build to searing climaxes, and he rides his guitar's volume and tone controls instead of relying on a pedalboard. The result is a warm, vocal, singing tone recognisable within a few notes.

  • Gibson SG ('61 reissue style) (guitar) His near-constant companion, tuned to open E for slide.
  • Dunlop signature glass slide (effect) A glass slide worn on his ring finger, central to his smooth tone.
  • Fender Super Reverb (amp) Vintage Super Reverbs provided clean, loud headroom for his dynamic playing.
  • Guitar volume and tone knobs (effect) He shapes his sound largely with the guitar's own controls rather than a pedalboard.
  • Open E tuning (guitar) Almost all of his slide work is played in this tuning, fingerpicked without a plectrum.

Covers

  • Down in the Flood, originally by Bob Dylan He turned a basement-tapes song into a heavy slide groove.
  • Sahib Teri Bandi, originally by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan A qawwali devotional song reimagined for slide guitar and band.
  • Layla, originally by Derek and the Dominos A full live recreation of the album that inspired his first name.
  • Keep On Growing, originally by Derek and the Dominos A joyous, extended take with multiple guitars trading lines.
  • Space Captain, originally by Joe Cocker The big band turns the Mad Dogs & Englishmen favourite into a soaring singalong.

Timeline

  • 1979 Born in Jacksonville, Florida
  • 1988 Buys his first guitar for five dollars at age nine
  • 1990 Plays his first paid show at age eleven
  • 1994 Forms the Derek Trucks Band
  • 1999 Joins the Allman Brothers Band
  • 2001 Marries singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi
  • 2006 Plays on Clapton and Cale's The Road to Escondido and tours with Clapton
  • 2010 Wins a Grammy for Already Free; forms Tedeschi Trucks Band
  • 2014 Plays the Allman Brothers Band's final shows
  • 2022 Tedeschi Trucks Band releases the four-part I Am the Moon

Facts

  1. His uncle Butch Trucks was a founding drummer of the Allman Brothers Band.
  2. He bought his first guitar for just five dollars at age nine.
  3. He was named after Derek and the Dominos, the band featuring Duane Allman on Layla.
  4. He studied the sarod at the Ali Akbar College of Music.
  5. Rolling Stone ranked him 81st among the greatest guitarists in 2003 and 16th in 2011.
  6. He plays slide without a pick, using his fingers.
  7. He toured as a member of Eric Clapton's band in 2006 and 2007.
  8. He performed at the White House for President Obama in 2012.
  9. Tedeschi Trucks Band's debut Revelator won the Grammy for Best Blues Album.
  10. He joined the Allman Brothers Band at age twenty and stayed until its end in 2014.

Sources